Is it the paper thin fresh whole grain spelt bread or the soy chocolate spelt brownies? Maybe it’s the thrumming humming vibe of hundreds of people with open energy? Perhaps it’s the sunset over the still mountain lake? Or the support given so easily by the staff and ny dear friend Barb who is my trusty assistant?
Could it be the various yoga boys in their tank tops and malas?
Do the amazing women who have gathered to dive and swim and float into new visions of self-care have anything to do with the magic bliss of this weekend?
Yes, that’s it! (That is even better than yoga boys)
Ah, the beauty and regeneration of body and soul that happens in these retreat circles. What gratitude I have for our courage to show up and do this thing we do.
We had a very juicy discussion this afternoon about desire: how it can get gummed up with making a living or finding our "life purpose" (as if it were hiding somewhere) or being successful as in to follow your desire means you must do what you love and it must be big and reach millions and make millions…
Or how we can become all twitter-patted about what we should do with our desire–choose this person or that career… "Should I do X or Y?"
Or how we can become fearful we will sabotage our desire…
Yet all desire wants is to be tasted and experienced in the moment Tasted and experienced right now. And by doing so, our life unfolds and millions are reached– or not, and people are married –or not, and we can’t sabotage anything because all we have to do is find our desire in this moment and taste it, savor, it, roll it around on our tongue like a spelt soy chocolate brownie.
Yum! (Really)
5 responses so far ↓
1 Madeline Jun 25, 2007
Yeah, so what if, just what if– one’s LIFE PURPOSE is NOT in capital letters? What if, like spiritual teacher Carolyn Myss suggests, your life purpose is to be.. the nicest person on your block? The soccer Mom? The contented housewife who feeds the cats, waters the garden,meditates, prays, reads a lot , and is happy with.. less instead of more as she surfs middle age, approaches cronehood–
I’m weary. Of goals, of LIFE IN CAPITAL LETTERS, of LIFE PURPOSE as chapter headings, book titles and a detailed outline in a day planner.
Just What If, as Ram Dass says, “I am in training to be nobody special??”
2 Jennifer Louden Jun 25, 2007
Madeline, I’m with you! Freedom from Life Purpose!!! We who have read so many books about finding our purpose can become tortured victims of always looking. Molly Gordon and I came up with a term for what we can’t help but do in the world Soul Deliverable. While not being the best term, it does remind us that we can’t help but do it! There is nothing to find!!! Nothing to do!
We get the vehicle confused with the transmission, as my friend Mark Silver told me about my confusion about what I do in the world.
3 Madeline Jun 25, 2007
Yes,Jennifer, I hear you. I was with you way back when Comfort Queen was brand new and I bought a zillion copies for all my gal friends.
We can’t avoid our life purpose. There it is. I wake up to the sound of the cat puking on the carpet (not the tile, thank you), breakfast time, I’m out of milk. Ooohhh,baby, my skinny jean FIT today, it’s Mom’s birthday. I need to meditate.I’m craving pork chops. The accounting work I SAID I’d do for the DH is on the desk.. I’ll do it..tonight.. maybe a midnight swim would be nice.. all of this, all of this.. Just All LIFE. No, I mean life, in lower case. i AM on purpose, the minute my feet hit the floor…
It’s THERE, always, yes, SOUL DELIVERABLE.. we’re DOING IT even when we’re.. not doing it…
A gratitude journal helps me the very most, of all the sophisticated spiritual tools I have toyed with..
Your blog and books, etc. all support this new millenial zeitgeist–all these CHOICES we women seemingly have.. a bit tiring at times, isn’t it? is SIMPLICITY a pollyanna DREAM I’m having– or a real option? How to start?
It’s good having COMPANY on the journey !
4 Madeline Jun 26, 2007
soo–another question I have..in my dreamy meanderings I have thought of totally redesigning my astrological/tarot/hypnosis practice..I’ve been semi-retired from it for a few years, working from home, ready for a change…
what resources do you reccomend for LIFE COACH training? I’d like to morph into an astro-coaching type practice, past life therapies, etc.. could use an infusion of new techniques and perspectives.. what workshops/teachers can you refer? There are soooo many out there!
Thanks–MADELINE
5 bernadette Jun 28, 2007
….hi there two little thoughts. On Life Purpose well I kind of like Eric Maisels thoughts on dualistic thinking; instead of should I do this or this or that or that and become totally overwhelmed with the amount of choices we could change our thinking to ‘what do I want to create’ so if we want a clean office we create a clear space, if we want a zillion pounds we begin the creation of earning it and if we want to experience total yummy bliss we could lie on the grass, with the sun on our bones and listen to the butterflies having a gossip…..it’s all in the creating!
On Life Coaching I cannot recommend Jill Badonsky’s Kaizen Muse Creativity Coaching enough!!. What a wonderful, enlightening, inspiring, thought-provoking journey my coach training with Jill turned out to be as well as fun, informative and full of fantastic tools to use in a tried and tested way. The framework is fab, the price is great and it’s flexible enough to put your own stamp on it when it comes to your own practice.
xx I wish you shooting stars and whatever makes your mouth water xx
Just Bea
The Splendidly Imperfect Artist